Cigarettes, cigars and pipes are popular smoking articles that employ tobacco in various forms. Such smoking articles are used by heating or burning tobacco, and aerosol (e.g., smoke) is inhaled by the smoker. Tobacco also may be enjoyed in a so-called “smokeless” form. Particularly popular smokeless tobacco products are employed by inserting some form of processed tobacco or tobacco-containing formulation into the mouth of the user.
Various types of smokeless tobacco products are set forth in U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,376,586 to Schwartz; 3,696,917 to Levi; 4,513,756 to Pittman et al.; 4,528,993 to Sensabaugh, Jr. et al.; 4,624,269 to Story et al.; 4,987,907 to Townsend; 5,092,352 to Sprinkle, III et al.; and 5,387,416 to White et al.; U.S. Pat. App. Pub. No. 2005/0244521 to Strickland et al.; PCT WO 04/095959 to Arnarp et al.; PCT WO 05/063060 to Atchley et al.; PCT WO 05/004480 to Engstrom; PCT WO 05/016036 to Bjorkholm; and PCT WO 05/041699 to Quinter et al., each of which is incorporated herein by reference. See also, the types of smokeless tobacco formulations, ingredients, and processing methodologies set forth in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,953,040 to Atchley et al.; 7,032,601 to Atchley et al.; US Pat. Appl. Pub. Nos. 2005/0178398 to Breskin et al. and 2006/0191548 to Strickland et al.; PCT WO 05/041699; and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/461,633, filed Aug. 1, 2006, to Mua et al.; each of which is incorporated herein by reference. One type of smokeless tobacco product is referred to as “snuff.” Representative types of moist snuff products, commonly referred to as “snus,” are manufactured in Europe, particularly in Sweden, by or through companies such as Swedish Match AB, Fiedler & Lundgren AB, Gustavus AB, Skandinavisk Tobakskompagni A/S, and Rocker Production AB. Snus products available in the U.S.A. are marketed under the tradenames Camel Snus Frost, Camel Snus Original and Camel Snus Spice by R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company. Representative smokeless tobacco products also are marketed under the tradenames Oliver Twist by House of Oliver Twist A/S; Copenhagen, Skoal, SkoalDry, Rooster, Red Seal, Husky, and Revel by U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Co.; “taboka” by Philip Morris USA; and Levi Garrett, Peachy, Taylor's Pride, Kodiak, Hawken Wintergreen, Grizzly, Dental, Kentucky King, and Mammoth Cave by Conwood Sales Co., L.P. See also, for example, Bryzgalov et al., 1N1800 Life Cycle Assessment, Comparative Life Cycle Assessment of General Loose and Portion Snus (2005). In addition, certain quality standards associated with snus manufacture have been assembled as a so-called GothiaTek standard.
It would be desirable to provide an enjoyable form of a smokeless tobacco product, and to provide processes for preparing tobacco compositions for use in smokeless tobacco products.